Can I Be Your Anything?, chapter 4
Shit. Adrienne had a problem.
Here she was, in the middle of Berkeley. She'd only been here one other time in her life, and she was seven, on a field trip.
And her eyelids were incredibly heavy. She had nowhere to go, aside from that hauntingly strange cashier's house. Something in the back of her mind told her not to go there. Whatever it was, she listened to it. She stumbled down the main roads, as to avoid being kidnapped or raped to the best of her ability.
Another twenty minutes of walking, and she came to a restaurant with lights still on inside it.
"Millie's 24-Hour-Cafe," Adrienne murmered to herself. Thankful, she pushed the glass door open and slowly stepped inside.
The restaurant was empty, aside from a chef and a waitress who were having what appeared to be an intensly heated discussion. They both looked up as Adrienne walked in. As she sat down in a red-plastic-cushioned booth, the waitress approached her.
"Hello, hon, what's your name?" she asked politely and robotically.
"Adie," Adrienne said with a groggy voice.
"Well, Adie, this is Millie's. My name is Linda, and I'll be your waitress. Can I get you any-" With a smile, Linda looked down to see that Adrienne was asleep.
She put her orderbook and menu away and walked back behind the counter. The chef came up to her.
"What do you think you're doing, letting that homeless girl sleep in here? Millie would go balistic!" he said angrily.
"Shut up and have some consideration for another human being, please. Look at her. She's darling, and tired as hell. Let her sleep. You and I both know good and well that Millie would think it was adorable. You're just sore because I let Mike go tonight without telling Millie," Linda said, with a look of victory on her face.
"The boy gets to get out of working whenever he pleases!" The chef said, wearing a look of scorn.
"Oh come on. He's fifteen. It's his dream to go somewhere with this band. Let him be fifteen for once. It's not like it's even legal for him to be working here," as Linda finished her sentence, in walked Mike, Billie Joe, and John.
"Well it's about time!" the chef shouted, pulling off his apron and hat and setting them under the counter, and then walking out of the restaurant. Mike walked behind the counter and dressed himself for the graveyard shift, as Billie Joe and John sat down at a booth opposite of Adie.
"She's stalking me, Mom," Billie said to Linda. "My first official stalker!"
"Let's celebrate, then," John said, laughing. "Coffee for everyone, even Linda and the stoned chick, my treat."
"She's asleep, actually. Only been here for about five minutes. She stumbled in, I went to take her order, and she was out like a rock."
"I talked to her earlier. She was at the show. Her name's Adrienne, but call her Adie," Billie said, laughing. "She's from Pilem, and she's running away from home."
"Ah, youth," Linda said, reminiscing. "I tried to run away several times, just like you have Billie, like she is doing. I never got very far, and turned around. But it seems like she's carrying on."
"Mmm," Adrienne murmered, stirring as Linda sat the coffee down beside her. She sat down beside her as Mike came and sat down by John and Billie. Everyone watched her as she sat up, and then jumped.
"What the-" she said, looking around. Her heart stopped when she saw Billie sitting there. Oh my fucking god, what the fuck do I do now?
"Hello there!" John said cheerfully. Adrienne recognized him as the drummer from the show, as she recognized Mike as the bassist.
"Hello..." she said, still confused.
"I'm Linda, I was going to be your server but you fell asleep. This is my son Billie, whom you've already met, and his band and best friends, John, and Mike," Linda said.
"Oh, okay," Adrienne said.
"So you're running away?" Linda asked, with a spark of amusement in her eyes.
"Yeah."
"Need a place to stay?" she asked.
"Hey, wait a second, that's right. You said you had somewhere to stay when we talked," Billie said, smirking, but avoiding eye contact with Adrienne. When he did lock eyes with her, he was blown away by the instant connection. There was such a feeling in his heart. He wanted to kiss her, hold her in his arms forever. His cheeks burnt to an astonishing auburn colour.
In her mind, Adrienne was getting the same feeling. Linda broke both of their thoughts of eternal love.
"So, do you need a place to stay?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Mike pitched in, sipping his coffee. "There's space in my apartment. She could sleep on my couch."
"She could stay in our guest room, too," John offered. "Of course, I don't know if Mom will approve."
"Adrienne-"
"Adie," Adrienne put it.
"Adie, do you want to stay with Mike? He lives on an addition to our house. We'd be happy to have you," Linda said formally. Billie giggled. Mike laughed. John stared into space. Adrienne contemplated the invitation.
"Certainly," Adrienne said.
"Well then it's settled. I can help you get comfortable when my shift's over, if you wanna wait 'til then," Mike offered.
"Okay," Adrienne said. And then she felt something else she'd never felt in her life. A little emotion called 'acceptance'. And she liked it. A lot.
Here she was, in the middle of Berkeley. She'd only been here one other time in her life, and she was seven, on a field trip.
And her eyelids were incredibly heavy. She had nowhere to go, aside from that hauntingly strange cashier's house. Something in the back of her mind told her not to go there. Whatever it was, she listened to it. She stumbled down the main roads, as to avoid being kidnapped or raped to the best of her ability.
Another twenty minutes of walking, and she came to a restaurant with lights still on inside it.
"Millie's 24-Hour-Cafe," Adrienne murmered to herself. Thankful, she pushed the glass door open and slowly stepped inside.
The restaurant was empty, aside from a chef and a waitress who were having what appeared to be an intensly heated discussion. They both looked up as Adrienne walked in. As she sat down in a red-plastic-cushioned booth, the waitress approached her.
"Hello, hon, what's your name?" she asked politely and robotically.
"Adie," Adrienne said with a groggy voice.
"Well, Adie, this is Millie's. My name is Linda, and I'll be your waitress. Can I get you any-" With a smile, Linda looked down to see that Adrienne was asleep.
She put her orderbook and menu away and walked back behind the counter. The chef came up to her.
"What do you think you're doing, letting that homeless girl sleep in here? Millie would go balistic!" he said angrily.
"Shut up and have some consideration for another human being, please. Look at her. She's darling, and tired as hell. Let her sleep. You and I both know good and well that Millie would think it was adorable. You're just sore because I let Mike go tonight without telling Millie," Linda said, with a look of victory on her face.
"The boy gets to get out of working whenever he pleases!" The chef said, wearing a look of scorn.
"Oh come on. He's fifteen. It's his dream to go somewhere with this band. Let him be fifteen for once. It's not like it's even legal for him to be working here," as Linda finished her sentence, in walked Mike, Billie Joe, and John.
"Well it's about time!" the chef shouted, pulling off his apron and hat and setting them under the counter, and then walking out of the restaurant. Mike walked behind the counter and dressed himself for the graveyard shift, as Billie Joe and John sat down at a booth opposite of Adie.
"She's stalking me, Mom," Billie said to Linda. "My first official stalker!"
"Let's celebrate, then," John said, laughing. "Coffee for everyone, even Linda and the stoned chick, my treat."
"She's asleep, actually. Only been here for about five minutes. She stumbled in, I went to take her order, and she was out like a rock."
"I talked to her earlier. She was at the show. Her name's Adrienne, but call her Adie," Billie said, laughing. "She's from Pilem, and she's running away from home."
"Ah, youth," Linda said, reminiscing. "I tried to run away several times, just like you have Billie, like she is doing. I never got very far, and turned around. But it seems like she's carrying on."
"Mmm," Adrienne murmered, stirring as Linda sat the coffee down beside her. She sat down beside her as Mike came and sat down by John and Billie. Everyone watched her as she sat up, and then jumped.
"What the-" she said, looking around. Her heart stopped when she saw Billie sitting there. Oh my fucking god, what the fuck do I do now?
"Hello there!" John said cheerfully. Adrienne recognized him as the drummer from the show, as she recognized Mike as the bassist.
"Hello..." she said, still confused.
"I'm Linda, I was going to be your server but you fell asleep. This is my son Billie, whom you've already met, and his band and best friends, John, and Mike," Linda said.
"Oh, okay," Adrienne said.
"So you're running away?" Linda asked, with a spark of amusement in her eyes.
"Yeah."
"Need a place to stay?" she asked.
"Hey, wait a second, that's right. You said you had somewhere to stay when we talked," Billie said, smirking, but avoiding eye contact with Adrienne. When he did lock eyes with her, he was blown away by the instant connection. There was such a feeling in his heart. He wanted to kiss her, hold her in his arms forever. His cheeks burnt to an astonishing auburn colour.
In her mind, Adrienne was getting the same feeling. Linda broke both of their thoughts of eternal love.
"So, do you need a place to stay?" she asked.
"Yeah!" Mike pitched in, sipping his coffee. "There's space in my apartment. She could sleep on my couch."
"She could stay in our guest room, too," John offered. "Of course, I don't know if Mom will approve."
"Adrienne-"
"Adie," Adrienne put it.
"Adie, do you want to stay with Mike? He lives on an addition to our house. We'd be happy to have you," Linda said formally. Billie giggled. Mike laughed. John stared into space. Adrienne contemplated the invitation.
"Certainly," Adrienne said.
"Well then it's settled. I can help you get comfortable when my shift's over, if you wanna wait 'til then," Mike offered.
"Okay," Adrienne said. And then she felt something else she'd never felt in her life. A little emotion called 'acceptance'. And she liked it. A lot.
